Beaten To The Punch
by McCoyMedical
Summary: Leonard has a question for Jim. Little does he know Jim had the same question. Part 1 of The Trials We Face


Leonard wasn't a man who struggled to find words. When he wanted to say something he usual spit it out, no matter how rude. He always spoke his mind and always tried to be truthful. Tonight, though, he was tongue tied. Lying in bed with the one man he loved, he just couldn't bring himself to say what he wanted.

He ran his hand along the arm of Jim, who was currently using his chest as a pillow.

He let out a sigh.

"What's on your mind, Bones?"

Leonard brought his hand up and ran it through Jim's dirty blond colored hair. He let the silence of the room linger before he answered.

"Just thinking."

Jim let out a chuckle. "About us?"

"You know, you're not the center of my universe right?"

"Oh, please," Jim sat up, with one of his stupid grins plastered on his face. Leonard couldn't help but smile too. Jim had that effect on him.

"I am your glowing sun star. Without me you would wither and die like a daisy."

Leonard sat up straighter. "Excuse you, but I had a life before meeting you on that godforsaken shuttle."

Jim smiled at Leonard, a dreamy look on his face. "Did you ever thank that lady for dragging you out of the bathroom and sitting your perky ass next to me?"

"I never saw her again after that and I'm glad because she kind of scared me."

Jim let out a throaty laugh and sat beside Leonard against the headboard. He turns and looks at the man he's in love with. His Captain, the man who he wants to spend the rest of his days with, the man he will follow anywhere.

"Jim," he says in a quiet voice. Jim turns to him and those blue eyes bore into his. They are so full of life and hope and determination.

The silence lingers as brown eyes gaze into blue.

"Leonard?"

"Marry me?"

There. He said it.

It was out there.

Floating in the air of Jim's messy captain quarters.

In the silence that was stabbing Leonard.

He waited.

He watched.

A look of disappointment graced Jim's face.

Shit.

Leonard's done it.

He's fucked it all up.

"Damn it, Bones." Jim said as he leaned forward onto his knees.

His heart dropped.

"Jim, I-"

"You beat me to it!" he said, a full-fledged smile stretched across his face. He jumped off the bed and turned to a paralyzed Leonard. "I hope you didn't get rings."

He walked over to his drawer and shuffled through it. He withdrew a small metallic box.

Heading back over to the bed he started, "There, wait until you se-"

"Son of a bitch!" Leonard shouted as he grabbed a pillow and smacked Jim across the face with it, the small metallic box falling from his hands. "You almost gave me a damned heart attack!"

"Shit, Bones, what?"

"I thought, I thought you were upset that I asked, that you didn't want it that I just destroyed everything we built up to this point all because of a stupid question that doesn't even really matter an-"

"Whoa, Bones, Bones," Jim grabbed his head in his hands.

"Look at me Leonard. Don't you ever think for a moment that I wouldn't want to be with you. You are everything to me. Hell, I'm a little hurt you'd ever even think that."

Leonard reached up and grabbed Jim's hand. "I'm sorry, I-," he was cut off when Jim locked lips with him. They kissed passionately; when they broke apart they just breathed each other in.

"So, that's a yes?"

"Yes, it is a yes, doctor."

Jim bent down and picked up the box he had dropped.

"I had Scotty make these out of salvaged parts when there was that explosion in engineering. Including the box."

"You mean that explosion when he got bored and decided 'hey I wonder what would happen if I ju—," Jim put a finger to Leonard's lips and just went shhhh, but nodded to confirm that, yeah, that explosion.

"This was his compensation," Jim opened the box and inside it was two silver rings. Leonard was amazed; he reached in and picked one up and noticed an inscription inside.

_Enterprise ~James T Kirk~ _

Leonard smiled and picked up the other one.

_Enterprise ~Leonard H McCoy~_

"Thought it would be nice to remember where it all began," Jim said. He placed the box down and he took the one with Leonard's name engraved in it. "Do you like them?"

"They're beautiful, never knew Mr. Scott was so talented. I'll have to thank him later."

Jim laughed, "May I?"

Leonard allowed him to take the ring and slip it on his ring finger; he did the same for Jim.

"You know what this calls for, right?" Jim asked with a smirk.

"A celebration?" Leonard questioned.

"Well, we can do that tomorrow when we inform the crew, but for right now…" The smirk never left his face.

"What?"

"Engagement sex!" Jim all but shouted as he tackled Leonard onto the bed. Leonard was startled and kicked out involuntarily hitting the nightstand beside the bed and knocked over a stack of PADD's sitting on top. They all crashed to the floor.

"Dammit Jim!" Leonard said, but Jim just laughed.

Leonard couldn't help but laugh too.


End file.
